not buying it - week 3

this was a slow week for me as i was focusing on getting out the next issue of herbal roots...so, i didn't do as good as usual.

clothing
-received some fabric from a freecycle table at the festival last week that i plan to turn into a skirt for me or a dress for jaden

food
-mixed seed starting mix from on hand supplies to start seeds
-harvested some seeding tyfon plants to feed to the goats and sheep who gobbled them up

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts

exercise/self improvement
-knife throwing
-hooping

homestead
-purchased our chicks locally this year (rural king) instead of through mcmurray to save on shipping (as well as got them about $1 cheaper than mcmurray's price). so far, the chicks are all alive
-in addition to the purchase, we are attempting once again to hatch. i'm following a fellow homesteader's advice of hatching only the round eggs. round are supposedly hens while pointy are roosters. we'll see how that works out. i'm being very diligent about monitoring the incubator this year.

education

weaknesses
-went out to eat last night instead of cooking. after baking bread and cookies and dealing with sage all day, i was in no mood to cook dinner.
-running the incubator and heat lamp for the eggs/chicks is running up the electricity bill
-bought the older 4 kids a set of throwing knives for their spring basket along with a minimal amount of candy

purging
-found another bag of clothes to give away to a new mama

Herbal Roots: Cooking with Chickweed

Chickweed is one of the tasty herbs! It can be used in cooking in many ways. I've added it raw to salads and on sandwiches in place of lettuce or spinach. It has a spinachy taste to it and kids love it!

Last week, I challenged my Herbal Roots Readers to come up with their own recipe using Chickweed. Today is their chance to post their results. So, if you've made a recipe using chickweed, tell us what you made and how it turned out. Did your family like it? Would you do anything different to the recipe the next time you make it? Is chickweed something you'll be continuing to eat?

Remember, chickweed does not like hot temperatures so be sure to harvest lots now and store it in your freezer in plastic bags!

April's issue of Herbal Roots is available now. Get it today! This month you'll be learning all about violets!

Herbal Roots - April 2009

it's here! (and this isn't a false alarm like last week!!)

This month's issue is all about Violet. Learn how Violet got her showy flowers, learn to make a herbal paste and syrup, all the great uses of Violet, where to find her and what to use her for!

April Table of Contents:

Note to Parents

Calendar

All About...Violet

Word Search

Herbal Lore: How Violet Got Her Showy Flowers

Songs and Poems

Herbal Recipes: Learn to make Party Cubes, Violet Jelly, Violet Paste and Violet Syrup

Coloring Page

Herbal Crafts and More!: How to Make a Litmus Test to Test Your Soil, How to Make Violet Potpourri and How to Make Violet Sachets

Maze: Help the skunk find the violet patch

Herbal Journal: A Place to Record Your Discoveries and Writings about Violet

Resource Guide: Books to Read, Games to Play, Websites to Explore

20 pages, including the cover

animal totems

all my life i have been drawn to skunks and have long ago accepted them as my main totem animal. someday i hope to get a skunk tattoo (one of about 3 more i want to get when time and funds allow). today, i was looking for a good picture of one to use for reference for drawing one for the cover of my next edition of herbal roots when i stumbled across this:

skunk

The skunk commands respect from humans and would-be predators alike, who give it a wide berth. It’s distinctive fur, with black and white stripes along the back and over the skull, is enough to warn others to keep their distance. And for good reason, or else.

The skunk is associated with self-respect. It meanders along at its own pace exuding self-assurance, but it can’t see clearly beyond three metres, which makes it an all too common road kill. In fact, skunks rarely live beyond three years.

As a powerful totem, it teaches fearlessness and calmness in the face of challenge. It is also an emblem of peace, since its famous last line of defence does no lasting damage. It’s solitary habits suggest self-knowledge and discernment, and avoiding others when necessary. Its silence signifies caution and discretion. Other skunky symbols are introspection, patience and gentleness.

If the skunk feels threatened, it will perform a foot-stamping ritual accompanied by a hissing sound. If that fails as a deterrent, the skunk will deploy its famous stink bomb. It lifts its tail – where the perfume glands are located on either side of the anus – and fires away with accuracy up to four metres. It’s a sulphur-based odour unmatched in the animal kingdom, and can cause temporary blindness and nausea. Due to the scent’s oily base, it’s not easily or quickly removed. Even the skunk can’t stand it.

A skunk tattoo might suggest non-aggressive self defence. But most critics are going to immediately attach the connotation of ‘smell’, and react accordingly. Another association with this cat-sized mammal is the competitive term ‘skunked’, meaning an overwhelming defeat, usually implying the loser has been kept off the scoreboard. If you identify with the skunk, you are confident, easy going, and sensual. Balance in attraction and repulsion are basic lessons offered by this striking and energetic creature.

One of the most well-known symbols of this striking little creature is the Warner Bros. cartoon, 'Pepe Le Pew', a romantically-challenged skunk who won't take no for an answer.. 'Pepe' was penned by Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese, voiced by the legendary, Mel Blanc and was a favorite of the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies series of cartoons. Pepe appeared in 17 cartoon shorts and was awarded an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 1949 for Best Animated Short Film.

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Caution, reputation, self-esteem. Skunk people tend to garner respect, having an extraordinary sense of self-assurance. Skunk is a symbol of truth, simplicity, and the ability to follow through. Skunk medicine teaches you to have pride in your own accomplishments and the importance of self-image.

you wanna know what i do all day?

i've got a post up at not dabbling in normal that highlights my typical spring day!

say cheese!

animals around the farm pose for pictures!the turkeys peek in through the goat door at me.

this is our lone surviving weasel massacre chicken from last fall. she spent most of the winter inside with us (at night). then, after i put her in the big coop in a cage to protect her from the big chickens, i let her out to roam when i let the rest out and she wandered into the pasture where the great pyrs got her and played football with her. you can still see the bit of wound still healing up. as greg says, she should have died twice but is still alive and kicking. she has abandoned the big coop, hiding out in the shed and roosting in there at night. when she gets a bit bigger, i'll start putting her in the coop for the night.

moon dog, laughing at the silliness of it all.

not buying it - week 2

i'm a little fuzzy on the details of last week so i may have missed a few things.

clothing
-matched up a shirt and skirt to refashion into a dress for jaden

food
-made my own corned beef brining solution and brined a brisket (it turned out delicious)
-grated my own horseradish to make sauce

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-made gnomes, painted wooden people, made stickers from leftover sticky back paper scraps for stufing eggs for our spring egg hunt

exercise/self improvement
-knife throwing
-hooping

homestead

education

weaknesses
-had to purchase a new iron, sage broke ours and i searched several thrift shops. i do not like the new iron so i plan on returning it and hope to find a second hand or freecycle one

purging
-sold a few items around the house on ebay
-gave away 3 bags full of diapers and toddler clothes to a friend who needed them

little lamb

Herbal Roots - April 2009

the april edition will not be out until next monday. sorry for the mix up!

two days in a row!

today i was away at a festival all day and greg took the little ones and his oldest boy to the river to watch the kayak races. when i got home, i discovered a black lamb in the pasture! one of our elusive navajo churros had a beautiful little lamb. we (my friend rebekah who i rode to the festival with) think it's a girl, we didn't do the tail lift but couldn't see any spare dangly parts. it has a splotch of white on its head...so cute!

i'm worried about the pyrs getting it, it seems to have imprinted on one and thinks it's her mama and keeps trying to nurse it while her real mama licks it off. hopefully greg will be home soon and we can get mama and baby into the barn (rebekah and i tried but were unsuccessful).

i'm at the festival tomorrow too but i'm hoping i'll get pictures before i go so i can post soon.

happy spring!

with it comes birth...calendula, our first time freshener had a boy a few hours ago. she's a great mama, very attentive and loving.
and yesterday, our 2nd buck rue came home. he's been bunking with a friend all winter, servicing her ladies. he has grown since we waved goodbye last september. he is now sporting a beard and is bigger than his mama! he's a handsome devil!turkeys are hard to photograph...they are too antsy. they too have grown. they show signs of mating, i'm hoping the female starts laying eggs soon and hatches a nest full.
we still have 2 more does to freshen but i'm not sure of their due date. i tried to breed one to deliver earlier, but she didn't so i'm not sure when she's due. the 2nd i'm hoping will be in may although she's the self nurser (rue's mom) so i'm not even sure i'll be able to milk her. i'm hoping now that she's been dry for a few months she won't do it again but i doubt i'll be that lucky. if she reverts to her old ways, she'll be shipped off to a friend who wants a goat to keep brush at bay in their pasture, possibly along with some or all of our sheep (they need sheep to keep their pastures 'mowed' and offered to pasture ours for us).

changing routines

i'm babbling over at 'not dabbling' today about how my routines change with the seasons.

Poetry Winner - March Contest

congratulations to meadow! she won the march poetry contest with her two poems:

I wrote two poems about chickweed;
***
chickweed, chickweed,
how does it taste to you?
it is great to me,
chickweed, chickweed,
kinda crunchy,
what do you think of it, good,bad?
eat it, rabbits do,
eat it, humans do,
do you like chickweed?
***
that was a acrostic poem
***
Chick grows on the ground,
chickweed grows all around,
everywhere it's found
***
that was a Haiku

she gets next month's issue for free!!

Herbal Roots - Poetry Contest

Today is the last day to submit your poems for a chance to win a copy of next month's Herbal Roots for free!

Please post your submissions on last week's post.

homeschool schedule

Week 4___________________________________________________

March 16 – 22

Language

-magic French & magic Spanish for kids

-muzzy spanish

Copywork

-Teach your child to read corresponding lessons from donnayoung.org

History/Geography

-SOTW chapter

-History of St. Patrick’s Day (We Celebrate Spring pages 44 – 47)

Science

-keepers of the animals chapter 12: The first flute & Manabozho and the Woodpecker (Birds, flight and feathers, migration, bird song and communication, forest, conservation of birds)

-herbal roots, chickweed

Literature/Poetry

Reading

-lessons 4 – 8 in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Math

-a lesson or so a day in Math-U-See (it’s going very quick at this point because she knows the lessons very well. We’ll keep breezing through them until it starts to get more challenging and then we’ll slow down to match her learning pace)

not buying it - week 1

even though i've been at a for several weeks now, i've decided to start recording my compacting choices weekly as a sort of challenge for myself to do more with less. feel free to jump in and join me on this! too bad i'm not handy at making those cute little badges or i'd make one with 'not buying it' on it. i'll add on categories as they come up. anyway...

clothing
-mended my skirt that i caught on fire during the solstice ceremony (i don't think i ever wrote about that, did i?!) this was one of my favorite skirts and i burned a long hole (about 4") that was only about 1/4" wide so i sewed it up. it's a circle skirt so hopefully the seam will get lost in the folds of fabric.
-started planning a pattern to make a swimming suit out of a 2 piece shirt/skirt outfit made from polyester and spandex
-adjusted a business suit jacket for nina to use for her model un field trip (it was an old one of mine and i only needed to shorten the sleeves for it to fit her)
-reviewed sock darning....need to start doing that!
-made mental note to look up boxer pattern to make sage more underwear using worn out boxers of greg's and brand new ones i purchased from thrift shops (boxers come in the greatest fabric patterns and i can't resist!)

food
-make pizza instead of buying frozen
-made bread
-experimented with using figs instead of dates in sticky toffee pudding with great results
-dreaming about making yogurt, mozzarella and ricotta instead of buying it! i wish my goats would hurry up and freshen already! this is the longest i've had to wait for milk, usually one kids by mid feb.
-purchased wine in a box instead of bottled to economize on my liquor habit :D working on drinking less...it's habit more than anything...at 4:30, when i'm getting ready to prepare dinner, i want a glass of wine to chill with...then one for dinner...then one after dinner...i think it's boredom that leads me to it if that makes sense....
-converted leftover pork roast into a pork pot pie and included previously cooked veggies (mashed potatoes, cabbage) plus some frozen veggies (corn, peas)

household
-made laundry soap to avoid buying more
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags
-sewed 12 more wipes for tp wipes

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player
-using water from hot water bottles to water plants. we won't be using these much longer so i'll need to start saving the shower/bath water for doing
-purchased kerosene in bulk for the discount...200 gallons will last us 2 years probably/hopefully
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room
-using woodstove when it's running to heat water for tea and make soup

gifts
-sewed 16 wipes for a friend who just had her baby last night! and placed them in an extra square basket i bought at the thrift shop eons ago. she uses cloth wipes but never sewed any, just cut out squares and they were trashed for her first baby so i thought i'd make her some as part of my baby gift to her

exercise/self improvement
-knife throwing practice..greg tried to 'improve' my throw by telling how to do it differently than i was doing it but then realized he was messing me up and told me to go back to what i was previously doing
-hooping for fitness! i wish i could figure out the 'tricks' though, it's frustrating not being able to learn them. i need to find local people to teach me i suppose but i'll keep working at it because it's great fun....did i mention my 11 yo daughter started hooping today and is already out tricking me?! not fair i scream!!
-yoga. did about 30 minutes this week, not great but better than previously done

homestead
-using soil block maker and reusing plastic containers for starting seeds
-cleaned out greenhouse today to get ready to re-cover with new plastic for this year

education
-purchased used copy of teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons online
-purchased math-u-see primer set from someone online for great discount/purchased wooden containers to hold blocks from ebay for 1/2 the cost of them new. i justified the wooden box purchase since we will be using these blocks for many, many years for 2 kids, i wanted something sturdier than the cardboard boxes they come in. the kids play with these blocks daily and the cardboard won't last more than a few months with that kind of use (plus we use them daily for math purposes)
-used library to request dvds, cds and books for learning purposes

weaknesses
-purchased new shoes (long overdue, have needed for about 4 years but have put off and made do with thrift shop finds...these should last me the rest of my life though)
-over indulging in wine daily

not buying it

since i've worked to cut out all unnecessary purchases from our budget, i continuously search for ways to continue to cut. the latest has been laundry soap. in the past, i've made the powdered version with it but stopped back when jaden or sage was born as it was too much at the time to grate soap.

thanks to my stock piling ways, i still have 2 14 oz bars of zote soap plus about 3 boxes each of borax and washing soda so i grated 1 bar today and added 2 oz to try making some liquid soap. i heated the water and dissolved the mixture on the wood stove and it is now cooling and waiting a permanent bucket to be stored in. it took very little tie at all so i have no idea why i quit doing it before. since i grated the entire bar, the next 6 times i make it i'll only need to measure and heat the ingredients. i shouldn't have to buy the ingredients for at least a year, if not more. one more expense i can cross off my list!

for st. patty's day this year, i'm going to attempt to make my own corned beef. i hate all the preservatives they put in the ready made ones from the grocer. i have the brisket, now i need to find a brining recipe and get busy!

just thought of another one! i've run out of trash bags so i'm reverting back to using plastic shopping bags...when i shop, i use canvas bags but still, those plastic bags creep into my house...people bringing me back egg cartons, greg doing any shopping (he always forgets the canvas bags are right next to him in the truck), my parents giving me anything (garage sale clothing finds, egg cartons, empty jars, etc). we only fill about 2 shopping bags a week so they should never run out.

how to's

for do-it-yourselfers:

Here are recipes for making your own Modge Podge Glue. Cheaper than buying, has the same results.

Modge Podge Glaze

Mix 3 parts white glue (elmer's or any cheap brand) to 1 part water.
Add more or less water to get the desired texture and thickness.
Add 2 Tbsp. varnish, for shine. Put into container with screw on lid.

Just Like Modge Podge

1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. non-self rising flour
1/2 tsp. powdered alum
1 3/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. oil of cinnamon

In medium size pan, mix together sugar, flour and alum.
Gradually add 1 cup water, stirring vigourously to break up lumps.
Boil until clear and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Add remaining water and oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Put into container with screw on lid.

found at home decor.

also, i'm loving this blog, it has tutorials for turning a maternity shirt into a non-maternity shirt (and i have a few that i love and need to try this with!) and how to's for cute girl clothes.

Need help?

i've got a post up at not dabbling in normal today about the benefits of using the WWOOF program.

thanks!

my luck of the irish gnome came in 23rd place! not too shabby considering i don't have a huge base of followers on etsy. i'm pretty happy with that. it got me a little bit of recognition and i even sold a few gnomes because of it. a big thanks to everyone who voted for me and to etsy for adding me to the contest in the first place!

homeschool schedule

thanks to all the illnesses running amuck the past few weeks, our homeschool schedule went out the window. we need to get back into the routine!

i've finally ordered teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons so i'm waiting for that to arrive. also, i'm waiting for our primer set of math-u-see to arrive so we can begin doing some formal math.

in the meantime, this week, without having had the time to order in books from the library, we'll focus on:

the days of the week. i think she has most of the song memorized but we'll keep singing it anyway.

months of the year. i could swear i've heard a song with the months of the year so i'll try to unearth that and start working on that as well.

for geography, i have the book 'this is paris' by m. sasek. we'll read that and look at some maps of france.

for language, we'll practice counting 1-10 in french and spanish. i also have the song tout doucement by feist which is a lovely little song. i'm working on memorizing the lyrics in french and have a basic understanding of them so we'll work on learning this song as well. if i had a theme song, this should be it, it really has such a lovely meaning to it.

for history, we'll probably read the next chapter in story of the world. i'm loosely doing this book right now just to familiarize her with it.

for spelling/reading readiness, we'll spell words using our bananagrams game pieces.

a page of copywork for writing practice. she does a line a day. also, perhaps writing to her friend kassi. she has loved getting mail from her friend and enjoys writing and drawing pictures to send back to her.

we'll do some of the chickweed packet to learn about herbs. she gets immersed in herbal stuff all the time but i think it's a good memory enhancer for her.

we'll start some seeds, spend time outside, take care of our animals, etc. play with clay, color and work on some crafts. maybe do some more fingerknitting.

Herbal Roots for March: Chickweed

In this month's edition of Herbal Roots, kids are learning about chickweed.

Chickweed is a great starter herb to learn about. It's taste is mild and pleasant when eaten raw (similar to spinach), it is very nutritious, makes a delicious tea and a great addition to salads, soups and anywhere else you'd use spinach and medicinally, it is great for treating all sorts of skin ailments, including itching, stings and cuts.

Occasionally on the daily activities calendar page, I create contests and challenges for the kids to participate in. This week, kids have an opportunity to win next month's copy of Herbal Roots for free. All they have to do is write a poem about chickweed and post it in the comments of this post. All poems must be posted by Monday, March 16, 2009. On Tuesday, March 17, 2009, I'll put all the names into a drawing and select one and announce the winner.

Good luck kids! Let's hear your poems!

If you haven't purchased a copy of this month's Herbal Roots, you can still do so right here!

what i look forward to

one of my goats, calendula, is close to freshening. she is due march 19. i have watched her bag up and am very hopeful. she is a first time freshener so i don't know what to expect from her. i have high hopes though. she comes from good milking lines and is part la mancha.

i'm dreaming of being able to shave our grocery bill further when she freshens:

milk
mozzarella (i have never tasted anything so good as homemade)
yogurt
ice cream

possibly cream too but i doubt there will be enough to make butter in the quantities i use it in. i'm hoping to locate the person in the area who purchased a milk cow from my aunt's brother last year. if i can, i'd like to start buying cream from them.

as the season progresses, other things will be able to fall off as well:
fruit - we'll have all we can eat of cherries, apples, blackberries, mulberries, plums, elderberries, peaches, possibly grapes
vegetables - we'll be growing all the veggies we eat and what we don't i can usually trade goat's milk for at the farmer's market
honey

so that leaves meat mostly. all the bulk staples i buy through a coop (flour, sugar, beans, etc). andcoffee and chocolate. :) i also plan to make more mead this year. elderberry comes to mind.

it would be great to get our grocery bill down to $100/month for this summer (including the coop bills). in theory it's doable. we'll see how reality plays out.

good tired

today it got up to 80. lovely. my day was very relaxed:

hooping practice in am (good exercise)
knife throwing practice in am
2 loads of laundry on the line
garlic weeded
strawberries weeded
3rd bed weeded and sown with peas, cabbage, carrots, spinach, radishes, lettuce mix, rainbow chard
herb beds cleaned out
nettle seeds sown

jaden wasn't feeling well and sent most of the day vegging in front of the tv and sleeping, poor thing. i hope she feels better soon. sage 'helped' in the garden. he and i still aren't feeling 100%. i'd say we're about 85% right now.

i know i'll sleep good tonight, provided sage lets me. the kid is 2 1/2, shouldn't he be sleeping through the night by now???? (ha, i think jaden waited another 6 months or so before she got there).

we have been sleeping down in the living room for a few months now. we lay down the futon mattress plus the papasan cushion and 2 big throw pillows and make a huge mattress. it's so much nicer than our double sized bed upstairs! we really need a larger mattress. until then, it's been kind of nice living on one floor. i maybe get upstairs twice a week now, usually to get some clothes to wash and take a shower. we bathe very little in the winter, once or twice a week is really pushing it. our skin thanks us for it, we don't have any dry, itchy, flaky skin that we used to have when we showered/bathed every day or so. our water bill thanks us too. but, being downstairs makes me think of space requirements. our home is 2000 square feet. before we lived here, it was 900 square feet. of course, we were merging families and went from 3 full time living in that space to 7 living there at least 50% of the time. now, we have 8 to juggle. jaden and sage sleep in our bedroom and all their toys are downstairs in the playroom. 3 of the older kids have their own room upstairs and all their belongings are up there too. we are going to have a huge shift in family dynamics in 3-6 years when the older 4 spread their wings and fly the nest. granted, they most likely will go to college and will be around part time but it's going to open up a whole lot of space. i suppose our younger two will end up with their own rooms but i kind of like having the sleeping space separate from the playing/living space. i'd be open to just putting them in 1 room for sleeping purposes only and allowing the other 2 rooms be used for other purposes...one will definitely become greg's full time office (he shares a room with his son right now for that purpose). the other i could invision as being a rental room. it's hard to say. we have lots of dreams we want to fulfill once the older kids are on their own. dreams we'd love to see now but cannot due to custody restraints and financial restraints. ahhh, life. who knows where it will take us!

observations

-when hidden from the rest of the household, ONE bag of dove chocolates can last me an entire month. (when not hidden, it may last one DAY.)

-the bare earth feels wonderful on my feet after being tucked away in socks all winter long.

-the peeps of the peepers is music to my ears. spring! it's here!

-i have missed plunging my hands into the earth and feeling the coolness and goodness of it all.

-i have missed the quiet meditation that comes with working the earth. such peace is found in my garden.

-hooping, while addictive, is like learning to play the mandolin...you have to toughen up key body parts and wince your way through it until you do. knife throwing on the other hand, doesn't really have the same problem but can be just as frustrating. thank goodness there's yoga!

-everything seems better when it's 76 degrees outside and the window is open, letting in fresh air, sunshine and a gentle breeze.

bought to last

generally, i am a tightwad. i dont spend a lot on anything. my shoes for the past 8 years have come solely from the thrift shops. i stick with sandals and thom mccans that have almost zero heels because my feet cramp very easily and wearing any heels at all leaves me in misery all night long. ever wake up with a foot cramp in the middle of the night...while nursing? not fun. in the winter, i still wear mules and sandals because i cannot find boots comfortable enough to keep my feet from misery. when i take care of the animals, i wear rubber boots.

my latest pair of shoes are coming apart. the stitching has come out and the elastic has broken on the buckles. i have always coveted the earth by kalso shoes. so, i finally bit the bullet, used a bit of my tax money and bought myself a pair of shoes and boots.

i LOVE my new shoes. they will probably last me the rest of my life. they have the reverse heel technology so the front is actually higher than the heel. the company i bought them from is the best ever. they ship for free and if you're not satisfied, you return them at their cost. plus, the shipping is quick. on monday, i ordered 3 pairs (to try sizes/styles) and they arrived on wednesday. yesterday, i ordered 1 more pair to compare sizes/colors) and it is scheduled to arrive TODAY. wow! they sell more than earth shoes so if you're in the market for any type of shoe, definitely check out zappos!

i broke my compact pledge for this but i had planned on buying them with this tax money even before the rejoining the compact. this was definitely a high need item, even though there was a bit of want mixed it, it truly was necessary for my feet's health. that is justifiable. had i chosen to keep 2 different styles of shoes, that would not have been! plus, both pairs i chose are on sale right now.

vote for me!!!

my luck of the irish gnome was 1 of 60 selected for an etsy st. patty's day contest! i'd be honored if you'd go and vote for me!

Herbal Roots - March 2009 Issue

if you haven't already, be sure to pick up your march edition of herbal roots! this month's copy is all about chickweed and will have the kids outside picking it fresh from the yard!there's a bit of herbal lore, how starweed got her stars, mazes, word searches and fun crafts too! while learning about the great value in chickweed both herbally and nutritiously, kids can make a finger puppet, book marks and salve!
this month, i'll still offer a limited amount of copies on etsy for returning etsy customers, but to keep it from selling out without listing a crazy amount on there, i'll also be offering it for sale on my business website. this way, it will never sell out! eventually, i hope to get it automated so that it will automatically be sent out when it's paid for instead of waiting for me to send it. i'm still working on that! (if anyone knows how to set zencart or even a similar program, up on the computer, let's talk, i sure could use some help).
And, last month's winner of the Herbal Roots contest is Jasper, mamaroots' oldest boy! He counted the number of times the word marshmallow appeared on the calendar page to win live marshmallow roots! Congratulations Jasper!! I'll be sending your roots out sometime in April or May when the ground thaws enough and they are ready to go.